Tuesday, July 30, 2013

July - Fast But Long...

The 4th feels like it was forever ago. So the month must have been long.

But I can't believe it's ending. Where did it go? What did I do? Hmm... let me see.

1) Celebrated the 4th with many of the family members in Morrisville at their annual parade. Meandered around the countryside and had fish-in-a-bucket at The Fishbone Cafe on Black Lake. We laughed, celebrated, ate great food, enjoyed the lakeside. En route home we took back roads to see Amish farms, toured Pickens Country Store, and finally called it a day. Ah! A lovely 4th of July!

2) Watched my youngest daughter become engaged! And buy a wedding dress. And talk about wedding plans. A few tears, lots of smiles and laughter, and tons of joy!

3) I attended two home births: one after the fact (Jess was really quick!) and one with time to spare (slow and steady!) Both beautiful reminders of the preciousness of every life created individually by God Himself. Amazing. Absolutely.

4) Saw one son head to Spain for three weeks to help a local church near Malaga run an English camp. Sent two daughters to Honduras for a week of serving in orphanages, hospitals, and rehab houses. And the youngest son spent four days in Rochester, NY working at a national outreach hosted by Operation Save America, a pro-life organization in the States. Wow. Busy.

5) Rick and I spent ten days traveling to and from Florida, packing, cleaning, and loading a U-Haul truck with my parents' belongings. Driving home, we were able to visit some friends. It was honestly a wonderful time together in every way!

6) We hosted Andrew, Cathy, and John Eastmond, our dear friends from Louisiana. They are musicians and ministers of the gospel who travel here every summer. It's always a treat to see them!

7) I gardened, enjoyed fresh produce from our local CSA, and continued the Literature class that I lead for students.

And tomorrow will bring the conclusion of this most summer-y of all months. Unbelievable. Loved it all. I just wish it could hang around a wee bit longer. That's all.

OH! I almost forgot!

8) I turned 58 on the 23rd. Nothing amazing OR unbelievable about that!